Without Compromise (20 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Josie was glad to be done with work for the day. She was going to be bruised from that last jump into the pit. At the end of the last take, Lem had glared at her and stomped off the set.

              Josie was a bit disgruntled. Her director was blaming the wrong person. The stunt coordinator had miscalculated the distance between the top of the building and the train car. Josie had corrected the error prior to performing the stunt, but it had changed the scene slightly. The alteration meant the scenes on the ground had to be refilmed by two of the cast.

              “Tough day?”

              Josie spun around, “Harry! They let you out.”

              He accepted her hug, “You didn’t think they were going to put up with me forever, did you?”

              Josie pulled her hair out of her face, “It seemed like they were. What was it – three weeks?”

              “Almost,” he walked with her.

              “Is Tag here with you?”

              Josie asked because she usually had to leave a guest’s name at the gate. The guards had gotten to know Tag over the past couple weeks, so it wasn’t an issue with him.

              “He’s around here somewhere. He said something about giving that director a piece of his mind.”

              Josie grimaced.

              “Don’t worry. I reminded him he didn’t have a piece to spare.”

              Josie laughed at that, “How’s Abigail?”

              “She’s good, but I’m not so sure she’s happy to have me home.”

              Josie heard the teasing in his voice, but she had to rise to the bait, “Why not?”

              “She was getting used to someone else feeding me, and she said I was safer in the hospital than back at work.”

              Josie spied Tag talking to Joseph, her stunt coordinator, “You’re not going back any time soon?”

              He grunted, “Six weeks after the incident.”

              She wrinkled her nose, “That’s not so bad – just a few more weeks.”

              “Yeah,” he snorted, “but then I’m on restricted duty for no less than four weeks. I figure if the shooting didn’t cause me to go nuts, the boredom will.”

              Josie patted his arm in commiseration, “You can come watch me anytime,” she walked toward Tag and called over her shoulder, “but you should probably leave troublemaker at home.”

              “Hi, Josie,” Tag saw her coming and ended his conversation with the other man.

              “You causing problems?”

              “No,” he leaned down at brushed a kiss across her cheek. “Just asking questions.”

              Josie didn’t believe that for a second, “I need to get changed.”

              “Are you finished for the day?”

              She nodded, “But it’s going to take me fifteen minutes to get cleaned up.”

              “We’ll wait.”

              Josie hurried to change, but she still wasn’t out until twenty minutes later.

              “Sorry about the delay,” she found them investigating props.

              “No problem,” Harry held up a dismembered arm, “this has been very educational.”

              Tag laughed and started walking, grabbing Josie’s hand to drag her along with him,” You want to get some supper?”

              Josie wondered if Harry was coming along. Tag had been very careful about keeping their time alone to a minimum.

              “I’d love to.”

              “Did you drive today?”

              “No, I took the bus.”

              “Great,” he led her toward the visitors’ parking lot, “I need to drop Harry off at the school. He’s not supposed to be driving yet, so I’m going to leave him with Abigail.”

              “I feel like I’m being babysat,” Harry grumbled.

              “That’s cause you are,” Tag opened the front door for Josie. “And now you have to sit in the back because I have a prettier passenger.”

              “Not cool, Madden,” Harry complained as he climbed in the back seat.

              “I really don’t mind sitting in the back,” Josie peeked at him over her shoulder.

              Harry snorted, “I meant calling you prettier. I’m not saying anything against you, but,” he circled his face with his finger, “what could compete with this?”

              Tag climbed in his side as Harry was finishing up, “Believe me, Jacobson, nobody is keeping you around for your face.”

              Josie turned to look at the man beside her, “What is it if it isn’t his pretty face? His quick thinking? His shooting accuracy?”

              “No,” Tag pretended to think, “that’s not it.”

              “Well, then?” Josie laughed.

              Tag frowned, “Now that you mention it, I’m not sure,” he pulled out of the lot. “Why do we keep you around, Harry?”

              “I think it’s because I keep you in line,” he shot back. “Thaddeus.”

              Tag pulled up to a stop sign, “I could drop you off right here.”

              Josie rolled her eyes at the pair of them.             

              After they left Harry with his wife, Josie turned to Tag, “So, is this a real date?”

              He inhaled deeply, “I was hoping to not make a big deal out of it.”

              “So, it is?”

              “It’s not like we haven’t had dinner together before.”

              “True,” she leaned slightly away from him to get a better look at him, “but we haven’t lately – at least not alone.”

              Tag’s lips were set in a firm line, and he was looking anywhere but at her.

              “Tag.”

              He pulled up to the curb and let her out of the car. Tag waited until they were seated before speaking to her again.

              “This is going to sound stupid and juvenile and. . .stupid,” he began, “but I’m not sure how to get around it.”

              Josie rolled her lips inward to keep from laughing.

              He could obviously tell she was struggling, “It’s not funny.”

              She quirked an eyebrow at him.

              He picked up his menu, but she could tell by his expression that he wasn’t really reading it.

              “Wouldn’t it be easier to just say it?”

              Tag set the menu down, “Okay, but no laughing.”

              “I can’t promise that,” she said very seriously.

              He snorted, “Fine. I talked to Ernie last night. He said he thought I was probably ready to start dating as long as we were careful about being alone together, what we talk about, you know.”

              Josie waited for the rest of it.

              He scowled back at her.

              “That’s it?” she must have missed something.

              He leaned in a little, “I feel like I’m fifteen and have to get permission from my dad to go on a date.”

              Josie felt a bubble of amusement welling up within her, but she managed to quash it, “And so your plan was to just start dating me without telling me first?”

              He rested his forehead on his palm, “I guess so.”

              “So now what?”

              He reached across the table and picked up her menu, pointedly handing it to her, “Now, we order.”

              Josie lifted the menu in front of her face to cover her smile.

              “It isn’t that funny,” he spoke from behind his own menu.             

              She didn’t answer because she knew whatever she said would come out with a laugh.

              He hooked a finger in her menu and pulled it down so he could see just her eyes. He obviously read the amusement there, so he rolled his own and went back to reading his choices.

              She couldn’t resist one more, “Are we going steady then?”

              He didn’t respond, and she figured she had pushed too far. She reached for his hand and squeezed his fingers, “I’m proud of you, Tag.”

              He afforded her a sheepish grin around the edge of the menu, “Thanks, Josie.”

              “I’m going to have the Reuben.”

              Tag walked Josie to her door after supper but did not kiss her goodnight. She was disappointed but not surprised. He had frequently greeted her with a kiss to the cheek as of late, but he hadn’t kissed her lips since the day he left her in the hospital. She wasn’t sure if it was because he had been counseled not to or because he wasn’t sure how she would react.

              “I work the long shift tomorrow,” he informed her as he stepped away from her.

              “Okay,” she thought over her own schedule. “I’m leaving for California on Friday.”

              “Oh, that’s right,” he shifted his feet. “How long will you be gone?”

              “Just a week this time.”

              Tag shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet.

              Josie smiled at his discomfort, “Tag,” she stepped forward and put her hand on his cheek.

              He met her eyes but didn’t take his hands from his pockets.

              She stretched up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

              “Thanks for supper,” she whispered the words in his ear and was pleased with the slight shudder that went through his frame.

              “G’night, Josie.”

              She stepped into her room and shut the door firmly behind herself before she could change her mind and kiss him the way she’d dreamed.

CHAPTER THIRTY

“How’s Tag?” Molly greeted her sister as Josie came into the former’s apartment.

              Josie affected a dreamy look, “He’s wonderful.”

              Molly threw an oven mitt at her.

              “I just stopped over to see how the meeting with your lawyer went today.”

              Molly smiled, “The judge said my actions were justifiable.”

              Josie released a sigh of relief, “So there will be no charges against you.”

              “None.”

              “Tag said he wished all hostages were so creative.”

              Molly chuckled.

              “Did you go to Brandon’s sentencing today?”

              “I couldn’t,” Molly admitted. “Dad and Dave went, though. He got three years just for pushing his way into my apartment, eleven years for unlawful restraint, one year for simple assault, and twelve years for assault with a deadly weapon.”

              Josie picked up a carrot stick and bit into it.

              “It’s almost 30 years when everything is added up.”

              “Good.”

              Molly sat down next to her sister, “I feel so bad for Genevieve and Kent.”

              Josie frowned, “His parents?”

              “They’re nice people, and they were so proud of him.”

              Josie was having trouble conjuring up any sympathy for the family of the man who tried to destroy Molly. Maybe it would be easier if she had ever met them, but they were just faceless names to her.

              Rather than mention that to Molly, she changed the subject, “Are you going to Mom and Dad’s for Labor Day?”

              “I can’t. I have an event in the afternoon.”

              “How did your event go yesterday?”

              “Terrific,” Molly beamed. “I think I’m going to have a solid base in Jersey soon.”

              “Good thing,” Josie laughed. “Since you’ll be moving there when you can finally get up the nerve to say yes to Dave .”

              Molly swatted her little sister away from the food, “Don’t rush me.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

“I hear congratulations are in order,” Tag hugged Molly briefly as she opened the door to her parents’ house on Thanksgiving.

              “Thanks,” she spoke to Tag but smiled up at Dave who had come up behind her.

              Josie came bounding around her sister and pulled on Tag’s arm, “I’m so glad you are finally here,” she dragged him into the living room. “All the talk has been about wedding dates and flowers, and I’m about to go crazy with it.”

              She tugged at his jacket. “I’ll hang this up for you.”

              “Um,” Tag felt a measure of panic, “That’s okay. I can do it.”

              Doris came around the corner and waved her spatula at him, “And have you seen into my front closet? I think not.”

              Tag managed to push Josie gently away from himself so he could more carefully remove his coat while quickly shifting a certain item from his coat pocket to his pants’ pocket, “You know, Doris, I am imagining all sorts of bad things that go on in that closet. Every time I’ve been here you’ve told me I couldn’t see it.”

              Josie laughed as she carried his coat away.

              “It can’t be as messy as you are implying.”

              Doris smiled in a manner that reminded Tag of her younger daughter, “Better to have you imagine it is a disaster than have you look inside and remove all doubt.”

              Tag had no trouble believing that Doris’s closets were a mess. He had seen Josie’s once and was nearly bowled over by the sight. Unlike her mother, however, Josie had simply laughed at Tag’s reaction and told him it was all part of the package.

              “Where’s Sol?” Tag changed the subject.

              Josie pulled Tag down onto the couch next to her, “He’s in the basement, practicing his pool.”

              Tag’s eyes lit up, “Really? I’d better go help him with that.”

              He made a movement to stand, but Josie stopped him with a hand to his shoulder.

              “I don’t think he wants pointers from the guy he’s trying to beat.”

              Tag slid away from her and stood up, “Sure he does.”

              Josie rose to follow, but her mother stopped her, “Don’t even think of it, Josephine. We need your input on dates, so these two don’t have to wait until my funeral to get married.”

              Josie muttered something uncomplimentary about chocolate and tulle.

              Tag shrugged at her and escaped to the basement to find Sol.

              “I heard you were looking for some competition,” the younger man remarked as he walked into the game room.

              Sol laughed as he lined up his cue, “I could find that in Dave. If you are looking for some competition for you, you’d better get one of the girls down here.”

              Tag didn’t know how long Doris would manage to keep Josie upstairs, so he got right to the point.

              “I’m not looking for competition, Sol. I’m looking for permission to marry Josie.”

              Sol mis-shot and looked up at Tag in surprise.

              Tag told himself not to flinch under the man’s scrutiny.

              “That’s one way to distract your opponent,” Sol set aside his stick.

              Tag’s mouth lifted slightly, “Sorry.”

              “Are you sure this is what she wants?”

              Tag shook his head, “We haven’t talked about it – at least, not beyond the general idea.”

              Sol folded his arms across his chest and breathed deeply. Tag got the feeling he was being weighed in the balance.

              “I know I’m not good enough for her, Sol.”

              A soft laugh escaped Sol’s lips, “Nobody is.”

              Weighed in the balance and found wanting.

              “She loves you,” Sol picked up his cue again and studied the table. “And I’ve seen enough to believe that you love her.”

              Tag felt his heart lifting.

              “My biggest concern is your relationship with Christ.”

              “I can understand that,” Tag forced himself not to delve into an explanation. Sol had heard it all before.

              “Are you still seeing your pastor for discipleship?”

              “Only once a month now,” Tag picked up a cue stick. “I’m in a men’s Bible study group at church that meets weekly, though.”

              Sol made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded like approval.

              Tag leaned over and took a shot.

              “You planning on changing to Josie’s church?”

              “Not necessarily.”

              Sol lifted his eyebrows, “You think she’ll want to change to yours?”

              “We haven’t discussed it,” Tag waited on Sol’s turn.

              Sol shot, “I’m not going to refuse you, Tag.”

              Josie’s father sounded too serious for Tag to rejoice at that statement.

              “But I’d like you two to discuss the church situation as well as your careers before you set a date.”

              Tag was certain his confusion was evident on his face.

              “I’d hate for the two of you to get up to the wedding and realize you had different expectations.”

              “I would sooner change churches than give her up,” Tag protested the idea that he would be so domineering.

              “I dare say you would,” Sol walked around the counter of the kitchenette and opened the small fridge. “but you giving in to my stubborn child will not make for a happy marriage.”

              “I don’t think that changing churches for Josie’s comfort is the same thing as giving in, Sol.”

              Sol opened his mouth to speak, but Tag cut him off, “And I don’t anticipate that I’m going to be making all the concessions.”

              Sol handed a water bottle to Tag.

              “I’m not saying we won’t talk about this right away, Sol,” Tag cracked the bottle open, “but I think we can work these things out.”

              “A little cocky, don’t you think?” Sol’s smile took some of the bite from the words.

              Tag laughed, “Part of the reason your daughter loves me is that I’m so cocky.”

              “True,” the lady in question spoke up from her position on the stairs, “but I’m not sure I like you two talking about me while I’m not around.”

              Sol took another drink and watched the two interact.

              “Would you rather we talked about you while you were in the room?” Tag tugged at her ponytail when she swiped his water bottle from him.

              “Did you beat Dad already?” she looked down at the unfinished game.

              “No,” Sol headed for the stairs, “we were too busy talking about you to play.”

              Josie glanced at her father’s retreating back before dropping into the worn leather couch and curling her legs under her.

              She narrowed her eyes at Tag, “What was that about?”

              Tag chose to seat himself in a different chair, “Your father wonders why we’re still going to separate churches.”

              Josie narrowed her eyes, “And he thinks I should change to suit you, I suppose.”

              Tag snatched back his water.

              “No,” he took a drink, “he just thought we should talk about it.”

              “Is there some reason we have to go to the same church?”

              “So we can worship together.”

              Josie didn’t buy it, “We never have before.”

              “Wouldn’t you like to?”

              “Sure,” she shrugged, “but why this sudden conviction?”

              Tag lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

              Josie leaned forward, elbows on knees – chin in palms, “I don’t buy it, Madden.”

              “Your dad suggested it,” he mirrored her position so their faces were inches apart.

              “And you thought you should be taking relationship advice from him?”

              Tag hadn’t planned on proposing in that moment, but it was time to tip his hand.

              “I love you, Josie.”

              Her lips curled slightly upward, and her eyes sparkled, “So you’ve said.”

              “After the last time I left, I felt like . . .like I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t breathe without you, and I needed something to fill up the missing parts.”

              She waited.

              “I realize I needed to fill that emptiness up with Jesus.”

              Josie stretched out a hand and brushed Tag’s face, “I’m so glad.”

              He could hear the tears in her voice.

              “I needed that time apart to see if I could be. . .whole without you.”

              She frowned slightly, “And can you?”

              He huffed a little, “I don’t know if I can answer your question. I hope it never comes to that.”

              “Your point, Tag,” Josie had dropped her hand and was leaning slightly away from him.

              He pulled her back, “Josie, I can’t rely on another human the way I was relying on you. Only Jesus can fill that place, but I’m hoping you’ll stick around,” he reached a hand into his pocket, “I’m asking you to stick around.”

              Josie’s scowl deepened, so Tag dropped to a knee in front of her.

              Now her eyebrows shot to her hairline.

              “Josie, I know it’s asking a lot, and you’ll have to put up with a bunch of stupidity – more than any woman should – but I’d like you to be my wife.”

              Josie’s eyes filled with tears as she tried to look between Tag’s face and the ring he held in front of him.

              “You want to marry me?”

              He swiped a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, “Oh, yeah. If you still want me.”

              “I’m never not going to want you, Tag.”

              “You may live to regret that statement. I can get a bit cocky.”

              Josie found a tissue in her pocket and dabbed at her face, “Is this supposed to be news?”

              “Of course, you can be too,” Tag smirked.

              “But with reason,” she laughed.

              “I suppose you’re implying that I don’t have a reason?”

              “Well,” she framed his face with her hands, “you did get me to agree to marry you, after all.”

              Tag turned his face to kiss her palm, “Is that a ‘yes’?”

              She nodded.

              Tag closed the distance between them so he could kiss his fiancée.